This 2500-hectare biological station and rainforest reserve is located on the south shore of the Río Napo, 23km east of Puerto Napo. It is run by Fundación Jatun Sacha , an Ecuadorian nonprofit organization, which was formed to promote rainforest research, conservation and education. Many new species have been discovered here since the 1990s, including the butterfly passiflora jatunsachensis. and biodiversity is very high for the area, with an estimated 1500 types of plants in a single hectare.
With neighboring areas being rapidly cleared for logging and agriculture, the biodiversity of Jatun Sacha seems precious. Besides counting and tracking local species, the foundation develops reforestation initiatives and agro-forestry alternatives with local farming communities and indigenous groups.
Biostation workers and other guests stay in rustic cabins with shared bathrooms just up from the entrance on the Misahualli-La Punta road. Water is solar-heated and meals are included if you stay overnight. The restaurant by the office at the reserve entrance serves healthy Ecuadorian and international meals.
Go birdwatching or meander through the surrounding forest trails, then check out the plant conservation center and botanical garden. You can also borrow a climbing harness and scale the 30m vertigo-inducing observation tower in the middle of the reserve. There are discounts for groups and students.
To get to Jatun Sacha from Tena, take an Ahuano or Santa Rosa bus and ask the driver to drop you at the main entrance/research station. A taxi to the entrance from Misahuallí is $5 but for buses, you'll need to first make it the 2km up to the junction of the main Tena–Ahuano road (the road along the southern shore of the Río Napo).
